The Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers meet in NHL action from Madison Square Garden on Monday night. It’s an Empire State Showdown from MSG on Monday, who comes out victorious? Let’s dive in and find out. Here is our Sabres vs Rangers Prediction.

Sabres Routed By Devils

The Buffalo Sabres will be looking to rebound after a 7-2 loss at the hands of the New Jersey Devils in their last matchup. Jeff Skinner, Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt each have 17 points with Skinner logging a team-high 10 goals while Dahlin has 13 assists and Mittelstadt has 14 assists this season. JJ Peterka has 16 points split between 8 goals and 8 assists and Alex Tuch has 14 points with 6 goals and 8 assists. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a 5-3-1 record with a 2.71 GAA and an .914 save percentage while Devon Levi is 3-4-1 with a 3.66 GAA and an .879 save percentage this season in goal for the Sabres.

Buffalo Sabres Team Facts

The Sabres have won seven of their last eight games following a road loss.
The Sabres have failed to cover the puck line in eight of their last nine night games following a road loss.
The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Sabres’ last seven games at Madison Square Garden.
The Sabres have lost the second period in nine of their last 10 night games following a road loss.

Buffalo Sabres Player Prop Facts

John-Jason Peterka has scored a goal in each of the Sabres’ last three games against the Rangers.
Alex Tuch has recorded at least one point in eight of his last nine appearances with the Sabres as underdogs.
Casey Mittelstadt has recorded an assist in eight of his last nine appearances against Eastern Conference opponents.
Kyle Okposo has recorded two hits against the Rangers this season – equal-most against any opponent.

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Rangers Beat Up Bruins

The New York Rangers come into this game off of a 7-4 win over the Boston Bruins last time out to extend their winning streak to 3 games. Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in scoring with 29 points including 11 goals and a team-high 18 assists while Chris Kreider has 20 points with a team-high 13 goals of his own. Vincent Trocheck has 16 points as well with 11 assists while Mika Zibanejad and Erik Gustafsson each have 14 points with a combined 21 assists between the two. Igor Shesterkin has gone 8-3 with a 2.45 GAA and a .916 save percentage while Jonathan Quick is 6-0-1 with a 1.99 GAA and a .930 save percentage between the pipes for the Rangers this season.

New York Rangers Team Facts

The Rangers have won each of their last seven games against Eastern Conference opponents.
The Rangers have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last seven Monday games.
The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2’ market has hit in each of the last seven games between the Sabres and Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers have lost the second period in each of their last five games as favorites following a home win.

New York Rangers Player Prop Facts

Artemi Panarin has scored at least one goal in each of the Rangers’ last six games against Atlantic Division opponents.
Chris Kreider has recorded at least one point in each of the Rangers’ last seven home games against Eastern Conference opponents.
Mika Zibanejad has recorded at least one assist in each of the Rangers’ last seven home games against Atlantic Division opponents.
Artemi Panarin ranks 1st in the league for multi-point games (11) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

The New York Rangers ranks 1st in the league for goals against per game this season (2.32).
The New York Rangers ranks T3rd in the league in power play percentage this season (30.00%).
The Buffalo Sabres ranks 25th in the league for goals per game this season (2.81).
The Buffalo Sabres ranks 30th in the league for Period 1 goals allowed per game this season (1.29).

Chris’ Pick

I’m rocking with the Rangers here. I just can’t get myself to back the Sabres in their current form as the defense is inconsistent to put it nicely. New York is establishing itself as a beast in the East, and I think New York delivers another solid showing to get a win on the puck line in this one. Give me the Rangers -1.5.